WinPicks Reference Manual

Section 8.14. The Platinum Page

WinPicks has so many powerful options for analyzing games, that it can sometimes be difficult to sort through all of the available information. If you are looking for a way to quickly handicap a particular game, the "Platinum Page" is a perfect solution. All versions of WinPicks can generate a "Platinum Page" for every game on their schedule. This page summarizes WinPicks's opinion on a game using three methods: how your prediction formulas are picking the game, how the key trends pick the game, and how well the two teams have fared against each other in the past in head-to-head matchups.

If all three methods favor the same team, then WinPicks recommends the game as a Platinum Pick. If two methods agree, and one has no opinion, the game is recommended as a strong play. If two methods agree and one method is opposed, the game is called a possible play. Otherwise, no recommendation is made. The analysis is performed both against the spread (ATS), and against the totals line (for over/under selections).

To view a "Platinum Page," select PLATINUM PAGE from the PREDICT menu. A window appears listing all of the games scheduled on the current date. Select a game from the list to view its "Platinum Page." To view the next game on the list, press the F6 key. To view the previous game on the list, press the F5 key. Note that the entire "Platinum Page" is too large to view on one screen, so scroll down to see the entire page.

The Three Methods Displayed on the Platinum Page

The three methods used by the "Platinum Page" to handicap a game are described in the sections below.

The Prediction Formula Method - This method summarizes how each of your prediction formulas predict this particular game. The SELECT PLATINUM FORMULAS option on the PREDICT menu allows you to select the prediction formulas that you want to use. You can select all of the available formulas that you have, or you can select only the formulas included in a formula consensus group. Both of these options are available for ATS picks and for Totals picks. If you select all of the available formulas, a formula will be included unless it was specifically excluded by checking a box on the EDIT FORMULA screen. However, if a formula is part of a consensus group, it will be included even if the exclude box has been checked.
The prediction formula method is illustrated in Figure 8.140. This example shows the 2012 Super Bowl game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots where New England was favored by 3 points. In this instance, 29 of the user's formulas are on the Giants, and 26 are on New England, so the formula method will take New York +3 as its ATS pick. Thirty-one formulas like the under, and only 17 like the over, so the formula method will favor taking the under. Note that only the prediction formulas that are making a recommended play on the game are counted in this summary, and that most formulas recommend only a small percentage of the games. For this example, 55 formulas on the user's system have an ATS recommendation on the game, out of the nearly 200 formulas on the system. Thus, the results produced by this method become more interesting and accurate when you have a large number of formulas.

Figure 8.140 - The Top Section of the Platinum Page (PFA)

The Key Trends Method - As shown in Figure 8.140, two key trends favor New York as the ATS pick, and none favor New England, so the edge goes to New York. Note all that three key trends recommended the under and none recommend the over.

The Head-to-Head Matchup Method - This section summarizes all of the head-to-head matchups between the two teams in past games. A table summarizes the results, followed by a list that shows the date, the score, and the odds information for every head-to-head matchup. In this example, New York has the ATS edge (7-2) and the under also as the edge by 6-3.

The Pick Recommendation Summary

The bottom of the "Platinum Page" shows the pick recommendation summary. All three of the methods favor New York ATS so New York +3 is recommended as a Platinum Pick. The under was also recommended as a Platinum Pick.

Figure 8.141 - The Pick Recommendation Summary (PFA)

Platinum Picks should be given strong consideration when you place your wagers. In this particular game, the New York Giants (+3) not only covered, but won the Super Bowl by a score of 21-17. The point total of 38 was well under the totals line of 53, so the under was also a winner.